Prosecutors say Zyrus Jaynes, 24, fatally stabbed Jesse Gray, 36, outside a Pittsfield home on May 29. Jaynes was arraigned Monday in Central Berkshire District Court, pleaded not guilty, and was held without bail. The DA said the two men had no prior connecti
A knife attack ended in bloodshed outside a Pittsfield home last week, and now the man accused of fatally stabbing Jesse Gray is facing a murder charge.
Zyrus Jaynes, 24, was arraigned on a murder charge Monday in Central Berkshire District Court, where court records show he pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors said he is being held without bail.
The case centers on the night of May 29, when police were sent to 10 Hall Place for a reported stabbing. Prosecutors said officers found Jesse Gray, 36, suffering from a stab wound to his side. Gray was taken to Berkshire Medical Center, where prosecutors said he died from his injuries.
In court filings and a statement from the office of Berkshire County District Attorney Timothy Shugrue. prosecutors described an alleged confrontation between Gray and Jaynes outside the multi-unit home. The DA said Gray drove his car into the home’s driveway. where Jaynes allegedly approached Gray in an “elevated manor.” Prosecutors said Jaynes then stabbed Gray and fled.
Prosecutors also said the two men had “no prior connection” before the attack.
The morning of May 30, police detained Jaynes at 10 Hall Place when he returned to the home, according to prosecutors.
Shugrue said the killing has reached beyond the courtroom and into the lives of more than just the people charged. “This senseless act led to the death of Jesse Gray and forever impacted the families of both Mr. Gray and the Defendant as well as the community. My thoughts are with all of those impacted by Mr. Gray’s murder,” the DA said.
Jaynes has been in court before on related charges. Court records show he was arraigned on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery in July 2025, then arraigned on a separate charge of assault and battery in August 2025.
In Monday’s release, Shugrue’s office said that in August, the District Attorney’s Office requested that the defendant be held without bail, but the judge ruled against the Commonwealth’s request.
An attorney for Jaynes could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.
The next steps now hinge on a murder prosecution tied to May 29—an episode prosecutors say came with no prior relationship between the men, and that ended with Gray’s death and an accusation that Jaynes fled the scene before being detained the following morning when he returned to 10 Hall Place.
Pittsfield Massachusetts Central Berkshire District Court Zyrus Jaynes Jesse Gray murder charge stabbing Timothy Shugrue bail